The Anti-Ogling 3-D Printed Top: Camera Foils Creeps Who Dare To Stare

A Chinese fashion designer named Yin Gao is credited for creating the first type of clothing to change according to its surroundings,  specifically responding by lighting up when people look at it.  But architect and fashion designer, Behnaz Farahi, has gone more than one step further with her innovative, 3-D printed wearable known as "Caress of the Gaze" that identifies viewers and comes to life with just a single glance in its direction.

In the words of its creator: "This is an interactive, 3-D printed wearable, which can detect other people's gaze and respond with life-like behavior."

Caress of the Gaze

Boooooooom

 How was this special top made?

Fitted with a range of gadgetry and a small micro-controller connected to the camera hidden within the top, Caress of the Gaze was created as part of San Francisco's AutoDesk's Pier 9 Artist in Residence Program (AIR), which gives artists a platform to work within digital fabrication workshops.

An Objet Connex 500 3-D printer created this interactive wearable, but exact details are still under wraps. The fabric, which is covered with smart fibers, expands and contracts  and depending on who and where people look at it, acts as a selective eye that sees and knows all. It can scan someone's face and  discern the age and gender of that person. If someone dares to stare, the garment actually STARES BACK!

How does this 3-D interactive wearable work?

Caress of the Gaze is made of flexible 3-D printed material that contracts like human skin. The hidden camera and micro-controller, which lie beneath the top's spotted spikes, utilize face-tracking algorithms, which reveal the viewer's gender, age and viewing direction. It is the garment's unique ability to identify and follow a  gaze that sets it apart from other interactive wearables.

3-D Printed Wearable Top
Behnaz Farahi

Who is Behnaz Farahi?

Iranian-born architect, researcher and interaction designer, Behnaz Farahi, has completed two masters degrees at Shahid Beheshti  University in Iran and at the University of Southern California. She is currently seeking a PhD degree in Inter-divisional Media Arts + Practice (iMAP) in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California.

Behnaz Farahi

WorldBuilding.Institute

While studying in the Unites States, she worked with professor Behrokh Khoshnevis on a project for NASA called Innovative Advanced Concepts, which concerned  developing a robot to print structures on the Moon. Widely published and well known, she is currently involved in the exploration of the potential of the interactive environment  and its relationship to human body movement. She is most attracted to the integration of smart materials and performance in contemporary industry.

The legacy of Caress of the Gaze

Behnaz Farahi has tapped into a novel, futuristic idea that while unpleasant on some levels, reflects a need for modern women to be aware of and control their surroundings.

So creeps, beware, for your days and your unwanted stares may well be not only numbered but also clocked!

Closing thoughts on technology:
The art challenges the technology and the technology inspires the art. ~ John Lasseter